First flatbed scanner with Digital ICE announced!By
Mike Tomkins(Wednesday, June 26, 2002 - 18:37 EDT)Microtek ScanMaker 6800 features ASF's well-received image enhancement technology; Digital ROC and SHO trials will ship with the company's scanners...Microtek International Inc. has announced in a joint press release with Applied Science Fiction Inc. its new ScanMaker 6800 flatbed scanner, the first flatbed model to feature ASF's Digital ICE technology. The new ScanMaker model has a color depth of 48-bit, an optical resolution of 4800 x 2400dpi, IEEE 1394 FireWire and USB 2.0 connectivity, a scan area of 8.5" x 11.7" and a built-in 4" x 5" transparency light plate.

The Digital ICE (Image Correction & Enhancement) technology (which has been used in numerous film scanners, but never in a flatbed model until now) attempts to automatically remove dust, lint, scratches and cracks visible on the scanned print. A separate press release from the two companies notes that free trial versions of ASF's software plugins, Digital ROC (Reconstruction of Color) and Digital SHO (Shadow & Highlight Optimisation) will also ship with Microtek's scanner lines. The trial versions apply watermarks to all images processed, and full versions cost $49.95 each.

The Microtek ScanMaker 6800 will be available in August or September 2002 at an estimated street price of $399.99. It will be bundled with Adobe Photoshop Elements, ABBYY FineReader Sprint OCR software, Microtek's own scan, color copy and email utilities, ScanWizard 5 scanner controller software and the Microtek LAN Wizard networking utility. Also included are a USB 2.0 cable, and a PCI FireWire host controller card and cable.

New York, NY (June 24, 2002) - Microtek International and Applied Science Fiction™ (ASF™), announced today the availability of the Microtek ScanMaker 6800 flatbed scanner with ASF's Digital ICE technology for photo prints. Microtek is a 21-year veteran in scanning technologies and imaging solutions, and Applied Science Fiction is the creator of the award-winning Digital ICE and Digital ICEł™ technologies, the leader of automatic photo restoration applications and the inventor of the cutting-edge digital dry film processing system, Digital PIC™.

The Microtek ScanMaker 6800 is the first flatbed scanner to integrate ASF's Digital ICE technology for photo prints, transforming the traditional photo restoration process into one that is automatic, fast and economical. The hardware and software integration allows users to scan a damaged photo print and apply Digital ICE for photo correction. In seconds, the combined technology removes dust and lint while also correcting most scratches and cracks commonly found on photo print surfaces, bringing photo memories back to life in near-original condition. The Microtek ScanMaker 6800 also offers best-of-class digital imaging quality such as 48-bit color, 4800 x 2400 dpi optical resolution, FireWire and USB connectivity, a built-in 4" x 5" transparency light plate, and 8.5" x 11.7" scan area.

Digital ICE for photo prints creates a defect map to identify the precise locations of physical defects or visual "noise" on a print being scanned. Differential shadowing technology and proprietary software algorithms quickly and automatically eliminate the unwanted defects.

"As we announced at the recent Seybold and PMA 2002 trade shows, our relationship with Microtek has now materialized into the commercial availability of a high-value scanning solution," said Dan Sullivan, president and CEO of Applied Science Fiction. "The Microtek ScanMaker 6800 integrated with our Digital ICE technology for photo prints will revolutionize the way photographs are restored. This combination differentiates the ScanMaker 6800 from any other flatbed-scanning package available in the market. Look for additional image restoration scanning solutions from Microtek and ASF in the not too distant future."

"We firmly believe that Microtek's relationship with Applied Science Fiction is an important technology milestone for digital imaging," said David Lin, vice president, Corporate Marketing Center, Microtek International. "By delivering, for the first time, a way for our customers to automatically revive photo prints on their desktop at home or at the office, Microtek and ASF take the benefits of scanning to the next level. Microtek, long known for its ability to make sophisticated technology applications affordable to the consumer, now makes photo restoration unbelievably accessible and cost-effective for many. The ScanMaker 6800, along with ASF's Digital ICE technology for photo prints, bring to the consumer a powerful solution to easily restore important photographs."

The Microtek ScanMaker 6800 with integrated Digital ICE for Photo Prints will be available August/September 2002 through Microtek's global distribution channels including Ingram Micro, Tech Data, distributors of photographic equipment and supplies, system integrators and value-added resellers, as well as the direct mail and retail channels.

About MicrotekMicrotek is a global leader in designing and manufacturing desktop digital imaging products that help improve communications and digital workflow efficiency. Known for its first-to-market scanning technology with over 100 patents worldwide, Microtek continues to provide a wide range of desktop imaging solutions with its ScanMaker™ and ArtixScan™ lines - to users ranging from the mass market, to high-end professional desktop publishers, printers and pre-press service providers. Founded in 1980, Microtek International, Inc. is headquartered in Science-based Industry Park, Hsinchu, Taiwan. The company has a strong global presence with major operations and distribution channels in 53 countries around the world. Information about Microtek can be found on the Web at www.microtek.com.

ASF's product portfolio consists of the Digital ICEł film scanner suite, Digital ICE, Digital ROC™ and Digital GEM™, the individual components of the suite, Digital ICE and Digital ROC for photo prints, Digital ROC plug-in for color restoration and Digital SHO plug-in for revealing details of dark image-areas. ASF is also the innovator in digital dry film processing, with its environmentally friendly Digital PIC technology. Digital PIC develops exposed film directly into a high-resolution RGB digital format file in minutes. Digital PIC produces a DigiPIX™ CD that contains the image files from which photographic quality images can be easily printed and distributed electronically. More information can be found on ASF's Web site at www.asf.com.

New York, NY (June 24, 2002) - Microtek International and Applied Science Fiction™, Inc. (ASF™), announced today that Microtek will distribute ASF's Digital ROC and Digital SHO image correction and enhancement software plug-ins with their scanner lines. Microtek is a 21-year veteran in scanning technologies and imaging solutions, and ASF is the creator of the award-winning Digital ICE™ and Digital ICEł™ technologies, the leader of automatic photo restoration applications and the inventor of the cutting-edge digital dry film processing system, Digital PIC™.

ASF's Digital ROC software plug-in provides automatic color restoration and the Digital SHO plug-in automatically reveals details in dark image areas. These plug-ins work on any image digitized by a digital camera, flatbed scanner, film scanner or pictures stored on CDs. They are compatible with most host applications which accept Adobe® Photoshop® plug-ins. Free trial versions will be included in the Microtek Software CD packaged with Microtek scanners worldwide. These fully functional trial versions apply watermarks to images processed with the plug-ins. To disable the watermark, a software key must be purchased online for $49.95 per plug-in at the Applied Science Fiction Web site www.asf.com.

"In a matter of a few short months since we began our business relationship with Applied Science Fiction we have expanded our offering beyond the integration of ASF's Digital ICE for Photo Prints in our ScanMaker 6800 to include distribution of ASF's plug-ins with all of our scanners," said David Lin, vice president, Corporate Marketing Center, Microtek International. "We are determined to provide our customers with the most complete and valuable imaging solutions in the business. Certainly providing ASF's technologies with our scanners is a critical step in this direction."

"ASF's image correction solutions offer a unique value to scanner manufacturers as well as to consumers," said Dan Sullivan, president and CEO of Applied Science Fiction. "Even though our plug-ins are relatively new, they have admirably followed in the footsteps of our award-winning film scanner technologies Digital ICE, Digital ROC, Digital GEM™ and the Digital ICEł suite. By providing our plug-ins to its customers Microtek continues to demonstrate they are a forward-looking company with commitment to offering its consumers the best possible imaging solutions."

Digital ROC Plug-inDigital ROC plug-in removes the color cast from faded images and the effects of tungsten and fluorescent lighting by using proprietary algorithms to analyze the color gradients of an image and determine the optimum tonal curve for each color channel.

About MicrotekMicrotek is a global leader in designing and manufacturing desktop digital imaging products that help improve communications and digital workflow efficiency. Known for its first-to-market scanning technology with over 100 patents worldwide, Microtek continues to provide a wide range of desktop imaging solutions with its ScanMaker™ and ArtixScan™ lines - to users ranging from the mass market, to high-end professional desktop publishers, printers and pre-press service providers. Founded in 1980, Microtek International, Inc. is headquartered in Science-based Industry Park, Hsinchu, Taiwan. The company has a strong global presence with major operations and distribution channels in 53 countries around the world. Information about Microtek can be found on the Web at www.microtek.com.

ASF's product portfolio consists of the Digital ICEł film scanner suite, Digital ICE, Digital ROC and Digital GEM, the individual components of the suite, Digital ICE and Digital ROC for photo prints, Digital ROC plug-in for color restoration and Digital SHO plug-in for revealing details of dark image-areas. ASF is also the innovator in digital dry film processing, with its environmentally friendly Digital PIC technology. Digital PIC develops exposed film directly into a high-resolution RGB digital format file in minutes. Digital PIC produces a DigiPIX™ CD that contains the image files from which photographic quality images can be easily printed and distributed electronically. More information can be found on ASF's Web site at www.asf.com.